what a ride my goodness. dan abnetts writing style works so well for me, but his flaws are more apparent here. pages and pages just to describe one, albeit massive, military parade, but what feels like the same amount of pages to wrap up the pinnacle of the whole book? unfortunately unbalanced. has gregor finally crossed the line ? it's up for debate, and that's why I love science fiction. 

He who fights monsters are fated to become one.

The book does a good job describing the protagonists, not altogether trustworthy rationalizations for his actions.
The protagonist stares into the depth of the abyss.
The pacing is good, the characters have their own personalities on the page.